Mary's Meals provides meals to more than 5,000 children
Life in Mozambique
Mozambique is currently ranked 183 out of 193 countries and territories in the Human Development Index (HDI) and almost 65% of the population live below the international poverty line ($2.15 per day).
Mozambique is located in Southern Africa and is identified as one of the world’s most vulnerable countries to the effects of climate change. It shares its borders with Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, South Africa, Tanzania, and Eswatini, and its coastline stretches more than 1,600 miles, running parallel to the island of Madagascar.
The country was ravaged by civil war between 1977 and 1992, and during this period an estimated 1 million lives were lost. Since 2017, conflict has been largely localised in the north around the province of Cabo Delgado. Around 780,000 people have been displaced because of the violence there, many of them women and children.
Food insecurity is high in Mozambique and malnutrition is rife among children: 38% of those under five years old are stunted. In 2022, more than a quarter of a million children under five were believed to have been affected by severe acute malnutrition (SAM). This situation is not only putting the lives of many children in danger but also their education, as an estimated 19% of all school dropouts are associated with chronic malnutrition.
Mary’s Meals in Mozambique
Mary’s Meals has been serving school meals in Mozambique since 2024. Together with our local partner, Mozambique School Lunch Initiative (MSLI), we provide meals to more than 5,000 children attending schools in the semi-arid Mabalane District located in Gaza Province in the south. Our daily meals bring much-needed assistance to thousands of children whose families are vulnerable and living on the front line of climate change.
Just $31.70 feeds a child for a whole school year.